Tag Archives: Sherry Notes

Springbank 15yo Single Cask, re-charred Sherry Butt 58.3% ABV

 

Springbank 15 recharred sherry buttCampbeltown region – 58.3% ABV – $139

It is a very true statement that Springbank is a Scotch Whisky that is in a league of it’s own.

The quality of their products tend to be a few notches above the rest and the whisky’s character is, well, unique.  Very unique.

Could the essence of their individuality be connected to terroir (Campbeltown and they, Springbank,  being one of only three distilleries in Campbeltown)?

Perhaps it’s their distilling process (2.5 times distilled which is explained here)?  I think not as their other products, Hazelburn (3 times distilled and unpeated) and Longrow (2 times distilled and heavily peated) still have that Springbankiness to them…

Maybe it’s the fact that they handle every step of the process whisky-making process from malting on up?

Perhaps it’s the fact that their wash (beer to be distilled in to spirit) spends 70 hours or more fermenting in Boatskin Larch wash backs? (Most Scottish distilleries ferment their wash between 48 & 54 hours in either Oregon Pine or Stainless Steel).

I am not sure any one of the above points really offers up answers.  Regardless, Springbank Scotch Whisky  is pretty amazing stuff.  While I am a known Glenmorangie freak, I have to say that Springbank produces my favorite whisky.  Ever.  And when they do it right. Boy howdy, they do it right-right!

Today’s Springer is a 15yo single cask matured in a re-charred sherry butt.  This is a highly unusual style of Scotch whisky and it sounded simply super fun and interesting to me so I had to get a bottle.  Had to.

On the nose — As I might have guessed (and surely hoped), the nose is very Bourbon-like due to the re-charred oak.  There’s a high sweetness here and a sharpness in scent.

Springbank-recharred-Sherry-Cask-1Brown sugar and peat!  What a combo!  Paraffin wax and molding clay.  Pencil shavings, albeit burnt pencil shavings.  A wide combination of dried fruits (dates, prunes, dried banana, etc…), pickled walnuts and cherries pits.

Springbank-recharred-Sherry-Cask-2There’s a salty/briny quality to this as well.  Heavy leather gloves (well used) and a brush fire.

This is like nosing a 50-50 mix of George T Stagg and a sherried Springbank.

Springbank-recharred-Sherry-Cask-3On the mouth — Big, salty and massively sherried (but without being like a run-of-the-mill sherry bomb).  There is no unidimensionality going on here.  In fact, there’s a lot going on here and it’s part of a nice flavor story:

Springbank-recharred-Sherry-Cask-4Salted dates floating in a bowl of Mexican vanilla extract and grated chicory.  Soft yet driving peat and dank malt (a la Malta Goya).

A lovely mouth feel.  Very bourbon like in experience (mouthfeel, very sweet and prickly on the sides of the tongue, charred-oaky-goodness) with the addition of cherry-twizzler sweetness!

The nuttiness returns but it’s like a nutty-syrup mixed with unlit cigars.

Finish — Medium finish loaded with dates and a touch of salt.

In sum — As if Springbank was unique enough!  This is a wildly fun ride of a whisky that would impress the Bourbon lovers out there.  Heck, this should impress whisk(e)y drinkers anywhere.  Very tasty and quite balanced.

One could sit and dissect this whisky or just relax and simply enjoy it.  This is a desert (and dessert) island dram for me.  I better get another bottle before you all buy it out on me!!

Two whiskies from Bruichladdich that I’ve been meaning to review since… 2010!

 

For the most part, I try not to be a slacker.  In fact, I am a real go-get-em, gung-ho guy with a ton of sticktoitiveness.  For the most part that is…

Somehow, someway, I’ve been sitting on a few samples from Bruichladdich (as well as samples from a few other distilleries) for quite a while now.  And by “quite a while” I mean like 2 or 3 years.  That’s a long time, right?  Right.  No better time than the present to review them though, right?  Right.

So what do we have today?  Firstly, we have “Redder Still;” part of the Blacker/Golder/Redder series from the lads and lasses at laddie.  Second is a 1992 (distilled in 1992, that is) sherry release from them – the Fino Cask.

Redder Still is matured in Château Lafleur Pomerol wine casks and the Fino Cask is matured in, well, Fino casks.  The former is bottled at 50.4% ABV (with 4000 bottles released) and the Fino was bottled at 46% ABV – 6000 bottles in that release.

Here are my thoughts on these two:

Bruichladdich Redder StillBruichladdich Redder Still – 50.4% ABV

Bruichladdich Redder StillOn the nose  My immediate impression is that of paraffin wax and red wine gums.

Incredibly soft on the nose. If I could apply an attribute to this nose that was not in the realm of scents, I would say this noses like a cotton ball.

Salted and ground mustard seed meet lager beer.  Quite malty.

Am I detecting smoke here?  I think so.

Not very winey at all considering this was matured in Château Lafleur (Pomerol, red wine cask – nothing to do with Fleur Delacour, mind you) casks.  Really soft peat — looking for the wine notes but, none here really.  Not yet.

Wait a sec, red currant jams and cracked black pepper.  Moving on because this smells yummy and I want to taste now.

On the mouth Quite sweet upfront.  Sugary sweet, in fact.  Oily moth feel with an effervescence toward the back and sides of the tongue.

Bruichladdich Redder StillPlums (prunes, too! Elderly plums, as it were) and smoke and more wine gums and peppery yet all of this is not forceful in anyway.

Much more winey after a few sips but is still very much whisky.  Smoke is present in the mouth and it gets quite drying as we get to the finish.

Finish Short… a bit abrupt.

In sum Compared to the *AMAZING* Blacker Still, this pales. Taken out of that family of Blacker/Golder/Redder, the Redder Still is a nice-nosed whisky!  I quite enjoy it actually.  The flavors work well together too however they’re a bit like a boy scared to ask a girl to hold his hand.  I feel this whisky should man up a bit in the flavor impact department but it does not.

Thinking back to that nose though… yum, yum, yum!

Bruichladdich Fino SherryBruichladdich 1992 Fino Cask – 46% ABV

On the nose  Quite noticeably a Bruichladdich with a salty coastal element that’s reminiscent of their old 90’s 15yo.

Noses of yellow chilis and the sweetness of Scotch Bonnet peppers (before you bite into one and it burns your dad gum head off!).

Bruichladdich Fino SherryA touch of sulfur and turmeric.  I think this is the first time I smelled Deviled Eggs in a whisky!  Guess what, it’s subtleness work here!

Some damp cardboard and sugared papaya (fresh, not dried).  Soft black licorice.

On the mouth Wow, the fino influence is right there and pretty dang lovely.  Nutty, very nutty.  Salted almond and pecan, fig paste and dried banana.

Anise seed, black licorice (again, though, salted this time), window putty.

At 46% it has enough attack to it as well as nice oils allowing for a good mouthfeel.

Bruichladdich Fino SherrySweet pecan pie and black strap molasses (treacle for the Brits out there).  Quite a satisfying whisky so far!

Finish Increasing sherried goodness, melted caramel and a touch of rum cake.

In sum This is one fine Bruichladdich!  the scent, flavors, mouthfeel, finish, etc… all works out.  Very nicely balanced with the sweet, salty, slight pepper.  Very much a dessert whisky.  Worth you seeking out, in my opinion!

 

Arran Premium Sherry Single Cask bottled for San Francisco’s “The Whisky Shop”

 

ARRAN-WHISKY-SHOP-0Islands region — 54.9% ABV – Single Cask # 96/1517 – $100, bottled for, and sold exclusively through, San Fransico’s “The Whisky Shop”

This sample was sort of an out of the blue one for me.  The good folks at ImpEx sent me the sample suggesting that I might be interested in reviewing it.

I knew that Arran had a line of “Premium” Sherry and Bourbon casks but this is the first I saw where they bottled one for a specific store.  This practice may be new, it may not be new.  Here we have it though, a single premium sherry cask for The Whisky Shop in San Francisco.

I’ve heard of The Whisky Shop but have never shopped there before.

ARRAN-WHISKY-SHOPLike Binny’s, Julio’s and a few others, The Whisky Shop has a reputation for being experts in all things whisk(e)y.

I am curious to taste this one, for sure.  Thanks to the good folks at ImpEx for sending me a sample!

Color – Muscato wine (I only mention the color as it seems light for a 16yo sherry single cask)

On the nose –  Obviously sherried but no *heavy* sherry notes, I wonder if this is a 2nd fill cask.  Either way, it’s smelling quite nice.

Let’s run down the list of scent, shall we?

ARRAN-WHISKY-SHOP1Candied bacon and the smell of the taste of iodized salt.  Cola with a side of Black pu’er tea.  I need to point out something I’m not getting, something I normally get with Arran malts: Apples.  No sign of that apple sweetness.

Fried dates; more gristle, less dates.

ARRAN-WHISKY-SHOP2Wait a second!!  Wait a *BIG* second!  Apple cider vinegar becomes very evident.  I am rewarded for my patience.

ARRAN-WHISKY-SHOP3On the mouth –  Fresh apples, bright fruits.  Very forward, sweet and bright.  This is almost like a high-octane dessert wine (ice wine).

Green grape skins and grape flesh (I know, a long-winded way of saying “grapes”).

Very fizzy along the tongue but a wonderful, even mouthfeel all around.

ARRAN-WHISKY-SHOP4Some coastal notes as well.  Really enjoyable.

Finish – Long and filled with that lovely apple cider vinegar I got on the nose.

In sum – In all honestly, to me, this is not something that those that like sherried whiskies would seek out (as a heavily sherried whisky).  However, this is one of the more delicious Arran’s I had (single cask or standard bottling).

Highly recommended, dear people.  This is a perfect after dinner drink.  Serve in place of dessert wine.  The perfect night cap!

A single sherry cask, cask strength 5yo Kilchoman bottled exclusively for Royal Mile Whiskies.

 

Islay region – 59.6%ABV – £70 (available only through Royal Mile Whiskies)

Total spoiler alert here, dear reader.  I fell head over heels for this whisky I’m about to share my notes on.

This is easily one of the best Kilchoman single casks I’ve tasted to date.  The only one I enjoyed more is one yet to be released (details on that to follow, no teasers though as the focus NEEDS to be on this lovely wolf among whiskies).

At only five years old, this sherried Kilchoman covers all the bases for the true lover of peaty whiskies: Peaty, sweet, balanced, powerful, invigorating, lovely.

I can’t stand it any longer, I need to share my notes:

On the nose — Very sweet and with a good deal of soft peat.

Don’t let the word “soft” scare you away, dear Peat Head.  It’s massively peaty but has a soft approach.  Better put, at 59.6% ABV, it noses like a much lower ABV peat monster.

The sweet Kilchoman character of the spirit shines through and mixes well with the sherry cask.  Not as medicinal as the Kilchoman Sherry Cask however that canvas sneaker element is here.

Burnt apricots and black pepper.

Star anise (subtle and well integrated with the peat smoke).

Chocolate covered espresso beans.  Yum!

On the mouth — Oily and peaty.  There is a great mix of sweet and medicinal happening here.  This is a peat monster and the sherry influence is lovely here.

Briny, raisiny, sea-influenced goodness.

Untamed and making me wish I bought a second bottle.

Molasses cookies, minus the cookie.

Black licorice goodness.

Finish — Medium length and slightly effervescent.

In sum —  A single cask of Kilchoman that shows just how good a fully sherried Kilchoman can be.  Yummy from beginning to end.  One for the cold winter for sure.  But, heck, the colder wether is coming…  This would be fine on a cool night by a bonfire.

A great, great single cask of whisky!

Arran’s devilish new limited release: The Devil’s Punch Bowl

 

Islands Region – 52.3%ABV – $129 – this stuff is selling out quickly – limited to 6,660 bottles.  Yeah, that’s right.  6,660 bottles.

If I were giving out packaging awards today, Arran’s Devil’s Punch Bowl would win it in a heart beat.  Hands down, this is some of the coolest packaging for a whisky in a *LONG* time.  And it’s not absurd awesome, just awesome-awesome.

Dude!:

And in the open position:

All up close and personal-like:

Even closer and even more personal:

Booga-booga!!

And here is the whisky make up (which, to be honest, is the most important part of the packaging):

Have you fallen in love yet?  Yes or no, here’s my review of the whisky:

On the nose — Classic Arran components:  Fresh apples (though brighter here compared to other Arran whiskies), salty (though slightly less salty than many Arran whiskies) and a touch pungent.

Quite bright, punchy and alive yet a touch buttery.

A strange thought comes to mind: Not sure why but this reminds me a bit of the Macallan 15yo Fine Oak (I rather like that one).  Hmm…

Now a touch of peat sneaks up on me.  Burnt things hither and thither; all natural-like and woody.

Burnt sugar over medjool dates (the sherry components start to come through).  Hint of cherry stones…  A solid whisky so far!

On the mouth — Pow!  Bam!  Kaboom! and other 60’s Batman punch and kick sounds.

Bright and sharp yet not at all hot.

Firm peaty backbone.

Grilled apples, salted.  More burnt sugar.  Honied yet oh, so peppery.

Peppered apple sauce.  A nice mouthfeel.

Finish — One of my favorite Arran characteristics: a good, long finish.  This one is peaty and peppery with a bit of honey and sugar.

In sum —  Well, not what I expected.  Granted, I didn’t know what to expect as I chose to not read reviews or learn too much about this whisky.

On the rare occasions when they do peated whiskies, Arran doesn’t peat much beyond 20ppm.  Knowing this, I guessed correctly that this would not be a peat monster.  I had heard some off-comments about this whisky in that people expected “more”.  Maybe some (due to the whisky name and packaging) expected a fire blast or peat monster.

Me?  I think it’s a well constructed whisky that packs a wallop.  It’s deliciously tasty, invigorating and of great quality.

Well done, Mr. MacTaggart, you devilish dude you!

Special thanks to the good folks at ImpEx for the ample sample!

***But, can I have your whisky? Please?!***